Never Let Me Go
by thearcadeflorist
Summary: Janet finds herself in an awful situation and, as a result, begins thinking about how anything could happen at any time, and you have to take action while you still can. She now has to decide wheather or not and exactly how to confess her feelings to that one person... ch 2 is finally here!
1. Chapter 1

A/N: Ah, it's finally up- my first (finished/published) TC fanfic! And it's a JackEt one, too! And for those of you who don't know what I'm referring to when I say "JackEt", I am talking about the Jack/Janet ship/pairing, whatever you like to call it. So anyways, thanks for reading, and I hope you like my story! ^.^ Also, I feel somewhat obligated to say this, so, CAUTION, SAD FIRST CHAPTER! THERE WILL BE TEARSHED AMONG THE CHARACTERS! THE EXTREMELY EMOTIONAL MIGHT WANT TO TURN AWAY, OR ELSE GET A POCKET HANKEY READY!...yeah… ;) that is all. Ok, enjoy!

-side note- By the way, when I use the little * mark around a certain area of story in this chapter, it means I am going into the past and revealing what happened prior to the story's beginning. When you see the second *, you know that the flashback-esq part has ended and we are now back to the regular time the story was set in. Ok! That's it!

Ch. 1

"If you love someone, let them know. Don't do something stupid like let them go." -Anonymous

"How can you be so insensitive?" By now she was furious, her eyes teary and her lips pursed angrily. If she could've stared right through the tall, red-headed nurse in front of her, she would have.

Backing away a little, the nurse replied, "Ma'am, I understand your concern. But there is really nothing we can do at this point. I'm really very so-"

"I don't want your apologies! I want you to do something!" Janet spat back, feeling anger growing inside her. It was on her voice. It was in every breath she took. And it was definitely on her face. But she reserved the right to be angry, didn't she? After all, how dare they just give up like this! How dare they be so cruel and insensitive? Janet could think of countless unpleasant words to spit out at the nurse and the doctors, but she wouldn't do that. She had to remain as composed as possible, for his sake.

Taking another step back, the nurse cleared her throat and tried again. "I'm very sorry, Miss Wood, but I don't know what else I can do for you. It's just-"

"No, don't do something for me- do something for him!" Janet cut her off angrily, pointing over in the corner of the room.

"Ma'am, I don't think you understand-"

"No," Janet took a slight step towards the nurse. "I don't think _you_ understand." There were tears welling up in Janet's eyes, and although she was clearly quite angry, a hint of helplessness was also visible on her face.

Feeling as though there was really nothing else she could say or do, the nurse just backed over to the door and, sighing, said, "A doctor will be with you again shortly. I wish you the best." Then she swiftly stepped out of the room, shutting the door and leaving a defeated looking Janet behind.

Janet sighed and turned around. She saw him lying there, so helpless and weak. So lifeless compared to his usual glowing way. She almost had to turn away, but she wouldn't allow herself to. She briefly closed her eyes and told herself to be strong.

_It's alright, Janet._ She told herself. _You can handle it._

Once she had willed herself to, she slowly began walking over to him. She was keeping her thoughts as far away as possible; for she knew if she let her imagination run free she would most likely make the situation worse than it actually was right now. She had to stay positive, and for her sake, as emotionally detached as she could manage for now. She stopped by the bed where Terri was also standing; a sad, distant look in her eyes. She had a clipboard tucked under her left arm, but she wasn't using it.

"How's he doing, Terri?" Janet asked, her voice almost a whisper as she looked down sorrowfully at the seemingly exanimate figure before her.

"I don't really know, Janet." Terri sighed. "One of the doctors told me that he wasn't really clear yet on his condition. He said it was still too early to tell at this point."

"Oh." Janet looked down and tried to stop a few forming tears from falling. It wasn't exactly bad news, but it wasn't particularly good news either. This got her pretty much emotionally nowhere. The fact that there was a possibility that something was seriously wrong with him outweighed the possibility that everything could be okay in her mind, thus making her see the glass as half empty instead of half full. This kind of thing played with her somewhat quick-to-jump-to-the-worst nature, and that certainly wasn't helping.

Terri was quiet for a moment, and then she looked up at Janet, placing a hand on her shoulder. "Janet?" Terri's voice was gentle and soft.

"Yes, Terri?" Janet looked up at Terri; her emotions now tamed and under control, for the most part… for now.

"I'm going to go out into the hall and talk to some of the doctors for a minute. Will you be alright in here?" Her eyes quickly flashed over to the hospital bed and then back to Janet. She knew that Janet was having a rough time with this; they both were. But she knew that if anyone was having a truly horrible time with this, it was Janet. All those years…

Janet nodded her head solemnly. "Yes, I'll be fine."

Terri quickly shot Janet a sympathetic look, as if to say, "Be brave" before she walked out of the room, leaving Janet behind to try and sort everything out by herself. Janet knew that once Terri was gone and she was left alone with him, her emotions would come back out to play, and she was sure that this time they would get the better of her. There would be no holding back tears this time. She knew better than to even try.

Looking down and taking him in, in this state of lifelessness, Janet felt the fear and sorrow rising in her. She began hearing a voice that she had previously not heard that shouted deviously, _"It's no use! Silly Janet, he's gone! Gone, gone, gone! And there is _nothing _that you can do for him. You might as well give up hope, while you still have your sanity."_ The voice was too convincing; she was already feeling so hopeless. A single tear begin to roll down her cheek.

_Oh, Jack. How did this happen?_ Janet's thoughts were brought back to earlier this morning, before the chaos that was this moment in time had erupted. She remembered it clearly.

*"Terri! Janet!" Jack's voice came from in the kitchen, prompting Terri and Janet, who were both busily going back and forth from their room and the bathroom- getting ready for the day- to rush a bit faster and finish up the last bit of their morning routines. This meant one thing-

"Breakfast! Come n' get it! It's hot and ready, like me!" Jack's joking tone filled the apartment with a sense of ease and happiness, one that he often created in the mornings making the sleepy, groggy feeling of waking up and getting ready feel a bit less hectic and stressful. And to top it all off, the food that he was making sent a wonderful aroma wafting throughout the apartment.

Both girls laughed to themselves and rolled their eyes at the joke Jack had made as they hurriedly finished applying makeup and fixing their hair.

"Be there in a minute, Jack!" Janet yelled back as she finished putting on her eyeliner. It wasn't long before Terri had walked into the bathroom to put on her lipstick, pursing her lips into the mirror and then smacking them with a smile.

"You almost ready, Janet?" Terri asked as they looked at themselves in the mirror, side by side; touching up their makeup and hair here and there. You can never look too good.

"Yep!" Janet smiled and put the cap back on her eyeliner pencil. "Let's go see what Jack has made for breakfast."

So, satisfied with the way they looked, the two headed into the kitchen, much to a waiting, hungry Jack's contentment. As they pushed open the swinging door they found themselves among the company of fresh blueberry crepes and coffee. Both roommates' eyed closed with feelings of bliss as they took in the smells of warm blueberries and maple syrup. They sat down happily at the table, mouths watering, while Jack served them, saying "Bon appétit!"

So, all had been well. They'd sat down, had their crepes and coffee. Talked, read a bit of the paper. Everything was perfectly normal. Nobody could have seen it coming. Nobody could have known what was to come.

-  
Janet arrived home from the flower shop around 11:30 A.M. She had gotten off early today because business had been relatively slow. As she walked into the apartment she began to head to her and Terri's room, ready to get comfortable and curl up on the couch with a good book and her reading glasses. But, she had to turn around- the phone began to ring. Sighing, Janet made her way to the phone and answered it.

"Hello?"

"Is this a Miss Wood or Miss Alden?" It was a man's voice; someone looking for either she or Terri. But why, Janet didn't have the faintest idea.

"Yes, this is Miss Wood." Janet answered, hoping this wasn't some telemarketer again. They had had a few bothersome calls from people trying to sell them things that really nobody will ever need in the course of their lifetime already during the week.

"Hello, Miss Wood. I am sorry to inform you, but it seems that Jack Tripper, your roommate, has been in some sort of accident."

Janet's heart dropped at the man's words. Fear began to grab at her heart and it was threatening to choke her. Her voice slightly shaking now, she clutched the phone cord tightly and responded, "W-what? Accident? Jack? W-what happened?"

"I'm not completely sure. All I know is that he was found blacked out on his way out of the kitchen earlier today before his restaurant opened. Mr. Gomez said that he found him there when he came out of the kitchen, and he was completely out of it. He said that he was unable to wake Mr. Tripper up."

Janet felt fear quickly spread from her heart to her mind and back, making her feel both emotionally and mentally afraid, and making her stomach do uncomfortable turns. Frantically, she asked, "W-where is he? Is he going to be alright?"

"They took him to the hospital. He is here in our care now. I'm sorry, but I really don't know his condition. I can try to find-"

"I'm going down there right now! Thank you." Janet quickly hung up the phone and grabbed her purse. Heading out the door, she ran into Mr. Furley, who asked where she was going in such a hurry.

"Mr. Furley I don't have time to stop and chat right now, I've got to get down to the hospital." Janet pushed past him and continued down the stairs and began briskly walking down the street, hoping to catch the next bus downtown.

"Well, okay, we'll talk later!" Mr. Furley yelled after her. Even though he had been confused, he said nothing further, because Janet definitely wasn't stopping now. They'd fill him in later, he was sure of it. After all, he was _always_ kept in the loop. Right?

As soon as it came Janet hopped on the next bus to downtown and waited patiently to get off at the hospital- the same one where Terri worked, in fact. She knew she could probably find Terri there and maybe she, being a nurse would know what was going on with Jack.

Upon entering the hospital, Janet ran quickly to the front desk where she, slightly out of breath, asked for Nurse Terri Alden. And sure enough, she was directed to Terri who had taken her to a room where a motionless Jack lay, nurses shuffling about around him, checking things and talking to a doctor who was in the room. The doctors had told Janet to wait outside but she had protested, saying she had to be in there- now. Feeling no point in arguing, the doctors had let her in, making Janet's job of finding out exactly how Jack was a bit easier.

Except, once she had gotten inside and tried to get information from the doctors and nurses about Jack's condition, all they could offer her were "we're not completely sure"'s, and "I don't know what else we can do". It had infuriated her to no end, seeing as how these were people who were supposed to be _helping_ Jack and all they seemed to be doing was standing around and taking statistics. What good did that do? They needed to be doing everything in their power to wake Jack up and make him okay again. And Janet was going to see to that.*

But now, here she was, standing over a still dead-to-the-world Jack all by herself. And there was no one around to see her pain, see her sorrow, see how much she wanted, no, _needed_ Jack to wake up and be okay again. She wanted everything back to normal. Now.

But it wasn't any good to imagine it, and she knew that. However, she felt like there might somehow be a better chance of things being alright if she tried to think pleasant thoughts about Jack and push the dark, depressing ones from her mind. So she did. She thought about the time she first met Jack, and how charming and alluring he had been, even wearing Eleanor's old pink fuzzy robe... The very thought of it made her slightly giggle to herself.  
She thought about the time that Jack had hidden from the F.B.I. and pretended to be Chrissy. Oh, had that been a wild chase! The F.B.I. agents hadn't known what had hit them! And when he had lost his hat and they just stared at him...  
She thought about the time that Jack had saved her from being further deceived by her sleazy dance teacher Michael. And how afterward, when she had broken down in tears and felt terrible for not believing Jack, he had simply comforted her; asking her for a dance, and had just held her there and danced with her. A moment that she had clung to- never wanting it to end.

Standing there in her silence, relishing in happy memories that she and Jack had shared, she came to a realization. There were some things she needed to say, weather Jack was conscious or not. She would never be able to forgive herself if she didn't say these things now. So cautiously, Janet looked behind her to see if anyone was coming into the room. She didn't see anyone around the door, so she turned back to Jack and she grew very somber.

Janet reached down and placed her hand on Jack's, holding the back of his hand firmly but gently. A tear escaped her eye and rolled down her cheek. It wasn't long before the tears were coming in a steady flow; she just couldn't hold it in anymore. It felt like eons of emotion had been welled up and were suddenly flowing forth; Janet didn't like to cry, it wasn't something she did all that often. But now, in this moment, holding back tears was utterly impossible. So she let them flow.  
When she found the strength to speak, Janet cleared her throat and looked directly at Jack, and, slowly at first, her words began to flow.

"You're my best friend, Jack. Why is this happening? Oh, I wish I could wake you up and make everything okay again, but I can't…. You know, you mean a lot to me, and Terri, and Larry, and, you know Mr. Furley loves you too, Jack. Even if he doesn't always show it… Well, what I'm trying to say, is… you- you just can't leave us, Jack. I mean, I don't know what we'd do without you. You're always there for me when I need you, and I'm sure everyone else feels the same. You see, I've never had a friend quite like you, Jack. You're reliable, and sweet. Caring, funny, charming…" A smile formed on Janet's face as she trailed off. "You can always make me laugh. And when I've had a bad day, you always know how to cheer me up. And you always loved to cook, in more ways than one, I might add. Janet giggled a little to herself as she remembered countless advances towards the girls that Jack brought home. He was always looking for trouble. She sighed, "But anyway, what I'm trying to say is, I can't imagine my life without you, Jack. I don't know what I would do if you weren't there every day making me laugh and making the apartment smell wonderful with your cooking every night. …I need you to be okay. You've got to wake up, Jack. Please. …I- I love you."

The last few words she said were almost whispered, and she choked up. She took her hand off of Jack's as tears relentlessly began flowing, and she couldn't stop herself from leaning down and resting her head on Jack's chest. She felt his slow, yet steady breaths as she just laid there and cried, her tears soaking his chest and making her mouth taste salty. It was all she could do to calm herself down to lie there for a while until she stopped crying and was able to take a few deep breaths. Slowly, she pulled herself up and wiped half-dried tears from her face. Lying there with him for a while had made her feel a little better. After all, things couldn't get any worse, right?

That wasn't exactly the case. It wasn't too long after Janet had recovered that the head doctor and a few of the nurses (Terri included) had come back in and stood somberly before her. Terri walked over and took her place beside Janet. She linked her arm with Janet's in a supportive, hopeful way as the doctor shared the conclusive news with them. It was in fact, the news that no one wanted to hear; he had said that there was nothing they could do for Jack, as they could not for the life of them find out the underlying causes of what was wrong with him. His condition had managed to stump all of the doctors in the building. And also, that in his coma-like sate, he probably wouldn't make it past another six hours, and it was about six now, meaning that he would likely not live past midnight tonight. Janet couldn't believe what she was hearing and had almost gone into a frantic fit at hearing the news. She had begun protesting that this couldn't be right, and pleading uselessly for the doctors to do something- anything to bring Jack back to her. Instead, though, she had been taken out of the room by two nurses and set down in a chair to calm down.

"Deep breaths," One of the nurses instructed, placing a hand on Janet's shoulder.

"But you don't understand, I have to-" Janet began to stand up, but the nurse pushed her back down into her chair.

"Please, take some deep breaths." The nurse insisted once again, refusing to let Janet back into the room until she had calmed down. So Janet obediently obeyed, breathing in and out, in and out, until she felt calm enough to control herself and stand up without shaking. The nurse let her go back into Jack's room with Terri, whom, once Janet was by Jack's bed alongside her, suggested that she and Janet spend Jack's last moments with him, whether he was awake or not. Janet agreed and added that it was the only place she wanted to be.

Several minutes to midnight and everyone was still there waiting- Janet and Terri, and of course, Jack. Nothing drastic had happened yet, and Janet was still holding on to the small shred of hope that maybe the doctors had been wrong and that Jack would be just fine when she woke up in the morning (assuming she even fell asleep that night) and that everything would go back to the way it was. She was afraid of having hope, and afraid of not having it. Nothing really felt right.

Janet and Terri had both taken up seats at the far back of the room, near Jack's left side. Terri was fighting sleep, leaning up against the wall in her chair and watching Jack intently for any signs of something good happening. Janet was in a seat next to Terri, sprawled out in a sort of laying position across two chairs, forcing herself to stay awake, and she, too, had her eyes locked intently on Jack.

Just when Janet's eyes started to close and she began to force them back open, she saw something. Or had she? Had it been her imagination? She had sworn that in that instant of opening her eyes she had seen Jack's head move slightly. Expectantly, she tested it out, closing her eyes and opening them quickly. Nothing happened. She sighed and rested her head on the wall behind her once again. _Now I'm so tired my thoughts are getting the better of me. _She knew it had been too good to be true…

But just seconds later, she saw it again- and this time she was certain. Janet quickly jumped up from her chair and ran over to Jack's side. Sure enough, his eyelids were fluttering and he seemed to be waking up.

"Jack? Jack?" Janet excitedly called as she watched him bat his eyelashes rapidly several times before he finally opened his eyes.

"Jack?! Oh, Terri, get over here!" Janet was practically jumping up and down by now, making a half-awake-half-asleep-still-sort-of-groggy Terri rise out of her chair and yawn.

"Janet, what is it?" Terri stretched and walked over to stand next to Janet; her eyes widening when she saw what Janet saw.

"Oh, Janet, he's awake!" Terri shouted happily, her and Janet now embracing and jumping up and down excitedly. Soon they had calmed down and Janet was able to regain some seriousness again through her excitement.

"Jack? Can you hear me? It's me, Janet."

It took him a few moments, but he quietly and weakly responded, "Hey, Janet." A small smile crept onto his face. Janet, too, began smiling as she looked at his warm smile and his kind, blue eyes- ones that she'd feared she'd never see again.

"I'm here too!" Terri said excitedly, giving Jack a small wave.

"Hi, Terri." Jack slowly turned his head to her and smiled, making Terri smile back. The three of them stayed there locked in silence for a while before Janet spoke.

"How are you feeling, Jack?"

"Not the greatest. I just don't have any energy." Jack trailed off and thought for a second before he cautiously asked, "They said I probably won't make it past tonight, didn't they?"

Neither Janet nor Terri wanted to answer this, but knew that they had to. So, softly, Janet answered,

"Yes...How did you know that?"

"It was weird, but I could kind of hear- off and on- throughout the whole thing. I picked up on more and more as time went on."

"Oh." As his last words hit her, Janet suddenly had a thought, one that she needed to ask. She had to know. It was now or never.

"Jack," she began somewhat cautiously. "Did you hear when I..."

"Said all those wonderful things? Yes, Janet, I did. Thank you." A warm, kind smile became his face and his eyes twinkled with happiness, making Janet's eyes tear up once more.

"There's something I want you to know too, Janet." Jack shakily reached up to grab Janet's hand but she quickly met him halfway, taking his hand herself to save him the strain.

"Yes, Jack?" Tears began filling her eyes, knowing that he likely didn't have much time left. This might be it.

"All those things you said- right back at ya. You mean so much to me. You have been my wonderful best friend for longer than anyone else. You changed my life so much when you walked into it, and for the better. I want you to know that, Janet. ...I love you."

Jack smiled and then closed his eyes, and his breathing slowly seemed to die down to nothing. His grip on Janet's hand released. Janet, however, was still holding tightly to Jack's hand and looking him in the eyes, had they been open. She felt a tear roll down her cheek, and her lips began to tremble, followed by a full-fledged flow of tears that she had no intentions of holding in. Slowly, she closed her eyes and she heard his last words echo in her head.

"Janet. …I love you."

A/N: Ahaha, played with your emotions there a little bit, didn't I? I know, I'm such a bad person- I played Janet's emotions like a fiddle. Poor Janet… :'( I feel so bad for her. But it had to be done. The story has to start somewhere… :)so yeah, I'm sorry, I know it was just a very sad, gloomy, depressing chapter overall, but I promise it will get better from here! Really, I swear! Also, it would be pretty cool if you maybe wanted to, oh, I don't know...leave a review? Always appreciate them :) Ok, on to chapter two!


	2. Chapter 2

A/N: Yay! Chapter two is finally here! Sorry it took me so long, I got a touch of writers block a few weeks ago and then I got sick... -.- but it's up now, and I sincerely apologize for making you wait so long. The next one will come faster, I promise! ^_~ oh and also, thanks for your generous reviews so far, you guys are great! Thanks for reading my story :3  
So, without further adieu, I give you chapter two! Enjoy!

Chapter 2: Waking Up From A Nightmare

"Janet? Janet? Oh Jaaaaaanet?" Terri's voice suddenly began to sound through her head, and she felt the slight feeling of being shook. It made her stir a little but she didn't open her eyes.

"Janet, wake up! Jack, I don't know what's going on with her..." Somewhere inside the swirling darkness presently inhabiting Janet's mind, Terri's voice finally became very clear and it brought her back through into reality. She slowly opened her eyes and found herself in her bed, clutching her pillow tightly to herself. Her sheets kicked around and her blankets and other pillow lying randomly about her; it was easy to tell that she had had a rough night. When she looked up, she saw that Terri and Jack were standing over her; concern in their eyes.

"Oh Jack, she's awake!" Terri excitedly tapped Jack's arm as she and Jack watched Janet look around confusedly. Both roommates were soon kneeling beside Janet's bed, now eye-level with her.

"Janet-?" Jack looked closely at her. "Are you okay?"

Janet, who was still partially in a daze, only grew more confused. "Huh? Wh- what do you mean?" she asked as she threw a puzzled look over in Jack and Terri's direction. As she began to move her head, she noticed that she had a slight headache and she didn't know why. She ran a hand through her hair and looked at Jack. He and Terri were now kneeling by Janet's bed, facing Janet who was lying in a rather disheveled looking form.

"You're crying, Janet." Jack said and reached over to wipe a tear falling from Janet's eye. It was then that she noticed that her face was wet with tears and that her pillow was splotched and soaked. Janet just sniffled and looked at Jack as he wiped the tear from her face, and something began tugging at her thoughts, though she didn't know quite what it was.

"Yeah, you look like you had a pretty rough night." Terri added, looking into Janet's eyes with her own pair of cool blue sympathetic ones.

"Really?" Janet asked in a hushed tone. She suddenly felt the strength to sit up, and she did so and foggily rubbed her eyes.

Terri nodded. _Gosh,_ Janet thought. _All this worry over little old me. All because of a little dream..._ That last thought suddenly caught her attention. _Dream..._ She thought again, trying to remember what had made her fret so. ...

Janet looked at Jack kneeling there in front of her alongside Terri, with his concerned deep blue eyes looking all sweet and gentle and the memories of last night's dream flooded back to her. Her lip began to quiver and tears filled her eyes.

"Janet?" Jack began, and in some sort of unspoken agreement he and Terri both got up to sit on either side of Janet, each putting an arm around her shoulder.

"Janet, what's wrong?" Terri questioned, patting Janet's thigh comfortingly. Jack began calmingly patting her arm and stroking it here and there. Both roommates were hoping to comfort their friend and calm her down enough to get some sort of answer out of her so that they could help.

At first Janet just sniffled, and when she was able to find words she simply said, "I- it's n- nothing. It w- was just a-" she trailed off to sniffle again.

Jack tried to get her to look at him as he lifted her chin so that her teary brown eyes were staring right back at his gentle blue ones. "Are you sure? Janet, you can tell us-"

"N- no." She swallowed hard and tried to stop crying. "I'm fine. It's okay; it was just a bad dream. I'm alright now, I promise." She didn't want to tell him how she had dreamed- no, more like had a nightmare- about him... dying. She couldn't even think about it anymore and tried to push the dream as far away from her thoughts as possible. After all, that's all it had been- a dream. A nightmare. A figment of the darkest corners of her imagination. Her subconscious playing dirty tricks on her. That was all; nothing more. So, everything would be fine now. Jack was here and obviously just fine. There was nothing to worry about.

"Oh, Janet, we were so worried about you. It must have been some dream. You were tossing and turning and making terrible noises." Terri looked at Janet with her sympathetic eyes as she placed her hand on Janet's.

"I was?" Janet looked at her, still sniffling and wiping tears from her eyes.

"Oh, yeah. You kept mumbling, 'No!'" Terri made a face and gesture somewhat dramatically mimicking  
someone shouting, "No!"  
"And I'm pretty sure I heard a name in there somewhere. I couldn't make it out, though. You were crying too much for me to be able to make out a lot of what you were saying-er, mumbling, that is... It worried me quite a bit."

"Me too," Jack added. "I mean, I know you tend to mumble in your sleep- well, you know what I mean." He quickly added when he realized that that sounded a bit ehh, suggestive. Janet nodded her head to show she knew what he meant.  
"But, this was different. I've never seen you like that. Not even when you're awake."

Janet was surprised at how much she had actually been reacting to the nightmare in real life. Normally she didn't have anything this bad happen. Even as a little girl her younger siblings had never mentioned her having a nightmare this bad, nor had her parents. Sure, like Jack had said, she would mumble and make a bit of noise in her sleep quite a bit (as pointed out by Chrissy numerous times). But this was way more than just a bit of mumbling.

"I'm sorry, guys- for worrying you. ...And, making all that fuss." Janet looked up at Terri and then over at Jack, her emotions a mix of overwhelming surprise and embarrassment.

"No, Janet, don't be sorry. It wasn't your fault, hon." Terri said, placing a hand on Janet's shoulder.

"That's right." Jack added. "You're alright now and that's all that matters."

Janet looked at him and nodded. "Thanks. I love you both." The three of them tangled themselves up into a cozy little group hug, this being the first time Janet had smiled since she went to bed last night; for not even in her so called 'sweet dreams' had she anything to smile about that night.

When they broke, they each looked around at the other and soon the trio broke out into happy giggling. "Ohhh," Janet happily sighed, growing serious again. "I'm so glad I have such a considerate roommate." Janet looked over at Terri.

"Why's that?" Terri questioned.

"Well, if it had been my sister, she would have kicked me out for sure!" The three of them began laughing again as the mood changed from a dismal grey to an uplifting, cheery shade of blue.

Feeling as though all was well again in the little world they shared; the balance restored, the three of them slowly got to their feet.

"Well, I'm gonna get dressed," Terri said making her way to she and Janet's' closet.

"Yeah, me too." Janet followed.

"Well, I'm gonna go start cooking breakfast." Jack started out the door of the girls' bedroom, but paused. Deviously, he turned around and a mischievous smile crept onto his face. "...Unless you want me to stay and help..." His eyebrow now sneakily raised.

"Jack!" Both girls laughed and began throwing pillows at Jack, who proceeded to puff out his cheeks like a maniac and exit the room, shutting the door behind him so that the last pillow they threw at him hit the door stiffly.

Janet laughed and shook her head as she made her way to her closet. She smiled to herself and thought,

_I would've missed that..._

_

Janet walked out the door to head to the flower shop and said goodbye to Terri, for she was the only roommate left in the apartment. It was also her day off. There were a lot of nurses already working today's shift, so Terri's boss, Dr. Kenderson, had said she could take the day off if she wished.

Janet stepped outside and started down the stairs. The air was alive with spring's warmth, and the sun's rays played on Janet's glossy dark hair as she walked along the sidewalk, headed for the bus stop. Most of her attention and thoughts had now been turned away from last night's nightmare mischance and towards today: getting down to the flower shop, meeting Jack for lunch, wondering what Jack would be making for dinner...

_He sure is in your life a lot, isn't he?_  
...and now those thoughts were back to swirl around her head some more. She wasn't too afraid of playing with them a little bit, as long as they didn't get too out of hand. As she walked toward the bus stop, she began pondering what her life would be like without Jack.

_My life without Jack... It would be so... different. I can't imagine not hearing him calling Terri and I in for dinner, or smelling his cooking... Checking up on him in the kitchen every once in a while.._ She thought with a slight chuckle. _...no meeting him for lunch, going out to dinner together, hanging out at the Regal Beagle, going out to parties, or down to the pier..._

Janet stepped onto the bus and took her seat next to a young, dark haired man near the front. She really hadn't even taken notice, though, for she had been so lost in her thoughts that her movements were on auto-pilot; her thoughts encompassing her at the moment.

_Gosh, I can't imagine what I'd have to do to feel right again... That dream was so real. I really thought I'd lost him for good. I didn't know what I was going to do next, I had no idea how I was going to-_

The bus came to a stop and Janet noticed that it was hers. Breaking thought for a moment, she grabbed her purse and stepped off the bus, making her way up to the flower shop.

_-to.. move on._ She finished, realizing that there was really no way that she could, in the event that something dare happen to Jack. _...oh, I can't imagine it..._

"Hello, Janet!" Beamed a cheery voice. Janet looked up to see her greeter.

"Oh, hi Stephanie!" Janet smiled and Stephanie met her halfway to the counter.

"How's it going?" Stephanie had two pots of Hydrangeas tucked under her arms and a huge smile on her face. She was always such a bright, happy person. And one of Janet's best arrangers as well. She was someone you could always count on, who was always loyal by nature. Janet was lucky to have found such great help after one of her best employees had had to quit due to family business. She definitely had good old Steph to thank.

"Good, how are you?" Janet cheerfully replied, almost (not quite) matching Stephanie's own liveliness.

"Wonderful!" Stephanie walked over to the area of flowers near the door to set the flowers down. "How are your roommates doing?" She asked, walking back over towards Janet and dusting off her hands.

"Oh, they're doing good." Janet proceeded to tell Stephanie how Jack had cooked this great dish last night, and how Terri had helped save this man with a peanut allergy down at the hospital yesterday afternoon. Stephanie looked intrigued at Janet's stories, for she herself had said that she didn't really intimately associate much with people outside of work and home, for she was more of an extrovert with only a few close friends who lived a while away from Santa Monica, and a bunch of associates here and there, whom she only ever made light conversation with. She was always so interested in Janet's wild and fun life in apartment 201 and was thrilled when Janet confided in her. Even though she was such an outgoing person, Stephanie rarely got to keep secrets, for she never really got close enough to someone to hear their secrets, and Janet sometimes needed somewhere to drain her troubles or worries throughout the day and Stephanie was perfect for that.

"Oh, wow. Your roommates have such lives! It must be thrilling working in a hospital. People being rushed in and out, doctors racing around screaming, "Stat!" this, and "Stat!" that... Ahh." She sighed in thought, probably, Janet imagined, thinking about what it would be like if she were a nurse.

In a way, Stephanie sometimes reminded her of Chrissy; so full of enthusiasm and life. But, at the same time they were quite different. And although Janet and Stephanie weren't exactly "tight", she still made a nice bouncy blond substitute in between she and Chrissy's visits.

Janet giggled, "I can imagine. Hey, could you do me a favor and get these flowers arranged for the Meyers' party?" She asked, walking behind the counter and getting out a sheet of paper with little instructions scribbled on it and an armful of three different kinds of flowers. She handed the items to Stephanie.

"Sure! I'll get right on it." Stephanie took the flowers and Mr. Meyer's instructions and headed for the back room, leaving Janet to tend to the front counter- her usual place. She enjoyed working up here, talking with customers and making phone calls. It was relaxing, almost therapeutic in a way, although she didn't know how. It certainly helped to get her mind off of the dream, though, which was a plus.

...

"Hey, Janet!" Jack pushed open the door to the flower shop, a smile on his face.

"Hi, Jack!" Janet reached down to get her purse and began getting ready to leave.

"Ready for lunch?" Jack waltzed up to the counter, waiting for Janet.

"Yep." Janet flung her purse over her shoulder and stepped out from behind the counter. "Let me go check with Stephanie real quick, I'll only be a minute." She started for the back room where Stephanie was working, but there was no need. Stephanie came out right at that moment to get some flowers for a bouquet arrangement, all smiles when she saw Jack.

"Hey there, Jack!" Stephanie beamed.

"Hi!" Jack returned her smile. He didn't know her all too well, but she seemed to always say hello when he came in.

"Stephanie, Jack and I are leaving for lunch. I'll be back later." Janet started for the door, arm in arm with Jack.

"Oh, alright! You two have fun!" Stephanie waved them out, and was that a small wink she sent Jack's way? Janet wondered first if her eyes had deceived her, and second why she cared if Stephanie had winked at Jack. It wasn't as if she liked Jack, anyway- Janet knew Stephanie, and she knew that she never attempted to get into any serious relationships. Although, that didn't prohibit her from flirting...

Flirting or not, Janet simply waved back and smiled as she walked arm and arm with Jack out of the flower shop and down the street for lunch.

"Where to?" She asked.

"I thought we'd try this new Italian place down the street. Bel Cibo."

"Sounds good!" Janet was glad it was lunchtime, for she had worked up quite an appetite this afternoon in the flower shop. She couldn't wait to get her hands, well, mouth, that is, on some food. And spending it with Jack, why, that was twice the fun!

As they walked towards the restaurant, hand in hand, Janet noticed how familiar and welcoming his grasp was. She imagined the all-too-familiar sensation fading away and becoming nonexistent, and the very thought startled her so much that she quickly stopped it and relaxed and let herself enjoy the warm feeling she had become accustomed to. Having someone this close to you meant that they could easily become just as far away from you. So how do you know? How does one know when they are in danger of losing someone or something so close, so routine to them? Can you, really?

Sighing, Janet looked up into the tranquil blue sky and just breathed, contented in the moment.

How would you react if the sun suddenly disappeared?

...

A/N: hehe, well there you have it! It was kinda long huh? I thought that'd make up for having to wait so long haha ;D and sorry if I kinda cut it off weird or anything, I have a bit of a headache and I'm feeling kind of awful right now and I just finished off the last part. But I promised myself (and others) I'd get it up today so here it is! I hope you liked :) (you thought I killed off Jack, huh? Shame on you! I couldn't! :P) haha. Well he's back and I hope you're as glad to see him as I am! Oh, and I hope you like Stephanie. I wanted to give Janet a nice little friend to talk to, so boom- my first OC (original character) of the story. Who knows, maybe I'll bring her back later? :3 okay, I'm on to chapter three! Hopefully no more illnesses/complications to slow me down! Life shall not get in my way… muahaha ^-^


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